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Going green is theme of First Friday tonight
REPOSITORY STAFF REPORT

CANTON The Mayor’s Commission on Sustainability will launch its “Green My Canton” initiative tonight in downtown Canton.

The program will be part of the First Friday arts festival from 6 to 10 p.m., which features the theme “Get into the Green Scene.”

First Friday, which takes place downtown the first Friday of each month, will include “eco-conscious” educational elements, along with the usual art activities and entertainment, according to a press release from the mayor’s office and the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Hybrid vehicles, including a truck from American Electric Power, will be on display, the release said. Booths will feature energy-saving products for homes and offices.

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Take action! In depth, actionable articles to get you off your duff and step into the green future. Read about great ideas on how to go green in Business + Politics, Cars + Transportation, Culture + Celebrity, Design + Architecture, Fashion + Beauty, Food + Health, Science + Technology and more!
Learn more after the jump —> How to Go Green

Here is an article by Scholastic News Online about Canton’s goal of becoming the greenest city in Ohio.

Summary:

Canton, Ohio kicked off a major effort to become a “greener” city this Earth Day, and it all started with a contest for kids . . . students have been challenged to create an original invention, piece of art, or working copy of an existing invention, using only recycled paper, plastic, glass, and/or metal. Mayor William J. Healy and his staff came up with the idea for the contest as a way to build awareness for Canton’s first curbside recycling project . . .

Read the full article —–> Canton’s Future is Bright Green

View contest photos —–> Mayor’s Young Inventor Challenge

Greenwashing is a term used to describe the perception of consumers that they are being misled by a company regarding the environmental practices of the company or the environmental benefits of a product or service. In December 2007, environmental marketing company TerraChoice gained national press coverage for releasing a study called “The Six Sins of Greenwashing,” which found that 99% of 1,018 common consumer products randomly surveyed for the study were guilty of greenwashing. According to the study, the six sins of greenwashing are:

-Sin of the Hidden Trade-Off: e.g. “Energy-efficient” electronics that contain hazardous materials. 998 products and 57% of all environmental claims committed this Sin.
-Sin of No Proof: e.g. Shampoos claiming to be “certified organic,” but with no verifiable certification. 454 products and 26% of environmental claims committed this Sin.
-Sin of Vagueness: e.g. Products claiming to be 100% natural when many naturally-occurring substances are hazardous, like arsenic and formaldehyde (see appeal to nature). Seen in 196 products or 11% of environmental claims.
-Sin of Irrelevance: e.g. Products claiming to be CFC-free, even though CFCs were banned 20 years ago. This Sin was seen in 78 products and 4% of environmental claims.
-Sin of Fibbing: e.g. Products falsely claiming to be certified by an internationally recognized environmental standard like EcoLogo, Energy Star or Green Seal. Found in 10 products or less than 1% of environmental claims.
-Sin of Lesser of Two Evils: e.g. Organic cigarettes or “environmentally friendly” pesticides, This occurred in 17 products or 1% of environmental claims.

Attached is a wallet-sized reminder card to download, cut out and put in your wallet to remind us consumers on how to choose truly green products when shopping.

Six Sins of Greenwashing Reminder Card